When one becomes Buddhist does it seem like you are constantly tested? I could be just seeing the status quo with new eyes although I dont think that is the problem. It seems since I have been working on making these postive changes in my life, events keep popping up to take me down a road I have been down before. As if I was a beacon for crazy people though unprovoked. I have had to humble myself and walk away from something out of line just last night in fact. I was wondering if this was part of the weeds that are growing which were the karmic seeds I planted with my actions of the past? What do you think?...

Thanks,- Distorted

"Sona, before you became a monk you were a musician". Sona said that was true. So the Buddha said, "As a musician which string of the lute produces a pleasant and harmonious sound. The over-tight string?" "No," said Sona, "The over-tight string produces an unpleasant sound and is moreover likely to break at any moment." "The string that is too loose?" Again, "No, the string that is too loose does not produce a tuneful sound. The string that produces a tuneful sound is the string that is not too tight and not too loose."

i've heard it said a number of times that when one gets on the spiritual path, it accelerates the ripening of their negative karma. the diamond sutra mentions this:

Furthermore, Subhuti, if it be that good men and good women who receive and retain this Discourse are downtrodden, their evil destiny is the inevitable retributive result of sins committed in their past mortal lives. By virtue of their present misfortunes the reacting effects of their past will be thereby worked out, and they will be in a position to attain the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment.

this has been my experience too... feels like eons of negative karma sometimes but it's best to get it out of the way asap imo

deff wrote:i've heard it said a number of times that when one gets on the spiritual path, it accelerates the ripening of their negative karma. the diamond sutra mentions this:

Furthermore, Subhuti, if it be that good men and good women who receive and retain this Discourse are downtrodden, their evil destiny is the inevitable retributive result of sins committed in their past mortal lives. By virtue of their present misfortunes the reacting effects of their past will be thereby worked out, and they will be in a position to attain the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment.

this has been my experience too... feels like eons of negative karma sometimes but it's best to get it out of the way asap imo

hopefully things get better for you!

Thanks Deff, I am going to read more of the Diamond Sutra. Time to dig deeper and work on how I receive these situations when faced with challenges of the sort.

"Sona, before you became a monk you were a musician". Sona said that was true. So the Buddha said, "As a musician which string of the lute produces a pleasant and harmonious sound. The over-tight string?" "No," said Sona, "The over-tight string produces an unpleasant sound and is moreover likely to break at any moment." "The string that is too loose?" Again, "No, the string that is too loose does not produce a tuneful sound. The string that produces a tuneful sound is the string that is not too tight and not too loose."

In this way, the teaching using so called suffering or the difficulty in life as the path becomes crucial.

If we look about this suffering and joyful life, they are actually not suffering and also not joyful. It is our mind who label it as joyful and pain.

Many things occur in daily life, but why we are labeling this as suffering or that as joyful? When we look into it again and again, we can come to realize that actually what we used to called suffering is not suffering, it is also not joyful. What we used to called joyful, it is also not joyful nor suffering.

Really, this life is by nature already perfect. It knows how to balance itself. We are the one who misinterpret it as joyful and suffering.

It is very difficult however for someone who lost his leg and has in his mind that losing his leg is actually not suffering nor even joy. Same things getting 10 billion dollars, is actually also not joyful nor suffering.

It is really difficult to see this. Now, when everything is relatively ok, we can say this out. But when bad thing really occur, it is extremely difficult to see this. This is because the wisdom of emptiness is still very weak.

It's ok. As long as if we keep familiarize it, soon or later that wisdom will naturally become our way of life.

The teaching of suffering as the path to unlock that actually it is not suffering nor joyful is then very crucial is helping us to familiarize this wisdom.

At the end, don't worry and never ever worry. Actually things are always ok.

Nobody ever test you. Buddha never test you. It is our own perception that test us.

How can we see this as no suffering when we loose the leg?

I found this teaching is really good:

One day in late summer, an old farmer was working in his field with his old sick horse. The farmer felt compassion for the horse and desired to lift its burden. So he left his horse loose to go the mountains and live out the rest of its life.

Soon after, neighbors from the nearby village visited, offering their condolences and said, "What a shame. Now your only horse is gone. How unfortunate you are!. You must be very sad. How will you live, work the land, and prosper?" The farmer replied: "Who knows? We shall see".

Two days later the old horse came back now rejuvenated after meandering in the mountainsides while eating the wild grasses. He came back with twelve new younger and healthy horses which followed the old horse into the corral. Word got out in the village of the old farmer's good fortune and it wasn't long before people stopped by to congratulate the farmer on his good luck. "How fortunate you are!" they exclaimed. You must be very happy!" Again, the farmer softly said, "Who knows? We shall see."

At daybreak on the next morning, the farmer's only son set off to attempt to train the new wild horses, but the farmer's son was thrown to the ground and broke his leg. One by one villagers arrived during the day to bemoan the farmer's latest misfortune. "Oh, what a tragedy! Your son won't be able to help you farm with a broken leg. You'll have to do all the work yourself, How will you survive? You must be very sad". they said. Calmly going about his usual business the farmer answered, "Who knows? We shall see"Several days later a war broke out. The Emperor's men arrived in the village demanding that young men come with them to be conscripted into the Emperor's army. As it happened the farmer's son was deemed unfit because of his broken leg. "What very good fortune you have!!" the villagers exclaimed as their own young sons were marched away. "You must be very happy." "Who knows? We shall see!", replied the old farmer as he headed off to work his field alone.As time went on the broken leg healed but the son was left with a slight limp. Again the neighbors came to pay their condolences. "Oh what bad luck. Too bad for you"! But the old farmer simply replied; "Who knows? We shall see."

As it turned out the other young village boys had died in the war and the old farmer and his son were the only able bodied men capable of working the village lands. The old farmer became wealthy and was very generous to the villagers. They said: "Oh how fortunate we are, you must be very happy", to which the old farmer replied, "Who knows? We shall see!"

Last edited by DarwidHalim on Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

I am not here nor there.I am not right nor wrong.I do not exist neither non-exist.I am not I nor non-I.I am not in samsara nor nirvana.To All Buddhas, I bow down for the teaching of emptiness. Thank You!

In this way, the teaching using so called suffering or the difficulty in life as the path becomes crucial.

If we look about this suffering and joyful life, they are actually not suffering and also not joyful. It is our mind who label it as joyful and pain.

Many things occur in daily life, but why we are labeling this as suffering or that as joyful? When we look into it again and again, we can come to realize that actually what we used to called suffering is not suffering, it is also not joyful. What we used to called joyful, it is also not joyful nor suffering.

Really, this life is by nature already perfect. It knows how to balance itself. We are the one who misinterpret it as joyful and suffering.

It is very difficult however for someone who lost his leg and has in his mind that losing his leg is actually not suffering nor even joy. Same things getting 10 billion dollars, is actually also not joyful nor suffering.

It is really difficult to see this. Now, when everything is relatively ok, we can say this out. But when bad thing really occur, it is extremely difficult to see this. This is because the wisdom of emptiness is still very weak.

It's ok. As long as if we keep familiarize it, soon or later that wisdom will naturally become our way of life.

The teaching of suffering as the path to unlock that actually it is not suffering nor joyful is then very crucial is helping us to familiarize this wisdom.

At the end, don't worry and never ever worry. Actually things are always ok.

I found this teaching is really good:

One day in late summer, an old farmer was working in his field with his old sick horse. The farmer felt compassion for the horse and desired to lift its burden. So he left his horse loose to go the mountains and live out the rest of its life.

Soon after, neighbors from the nearby village visited, offering their condolences and said, "What a shame. Now your only horse is gone. How unfortunate you are!. You must be very sad. How will you live, work the land, and prosper?" The farmer replied: "Who knows? We shall see".

Two days later the old horse came back now rejuvenated after meandering in the mountainsides while eating the wild grasses. He came back with twelve new younger and healthy horses which followed the old horse into the corral. Word got out in the village of the old farmer's good fortune and it wasn't long before people stopped by to congratulate the farmer on his good luck. "How fortunate you are!" they exclaimed. You must be very happy!" Again, the farmer softly said, "Who knows? We shall see."

At daybreak on the next morning, the farmer's only son set off to attempt to train the new wild horses, but the farmer's son was thrown to the ground and broke his leg. One by one villagers arrived during the day to bemoan the farmer's latest misfortune. "Oh, what a tragedy! Your son won't be able to help you farm with a broken leg. You'll have to do all the work yourself, How will you survive? You must be very sad". they said. Calmly going about his usual business the farmer answered, "Who knows? We shall see"Several days later a war broke out. The Emperor's men arrived in the village demanding that young men come with them to be conscripted into the Emperor's army. As it happened the farmer's son was deemed unfit because of his broken leg. "What very good fortune you have!!" the villagers exclaimed as their own young sons were marched away. "You must be very happy." "Who knows? We shall see!", replied the old farmer as he headed off to work his field alone.As time went on the broken leg healed but the son was left with a slight limp. Again the neighbors came to pay their condolences. "Oh what bad luck. Too bad for you"! But the old farmer simply replied; "Who knows? We shall see."

As it turned out the other young village boys had died in the war and the old farmer and his son were the only able bodied men capable of working the village lands. The old farmer became wealthy and was very generous to the villagers. They said: "Oh how fortunate we are, you must be very happy", to which the old farmer replied, "Who knows? We shall see!"

That was a great read DarwidHalim! I will keep this in mind. This is saying to let go any bad feelings, right? I definitely have to work on that!

"Sona, before you became a monk you were a musician". Sona said that was true. So the Buddha said, "As a musician which string of the lute produces a pleasant and harmonious sound. The over-tight string?" "No," said Sona, "The over-tight string produces an unpleasant sound and is moreover likely to break at any moment." "The string that is too loose?" Again, "No, the string that is too loose does not produce a tuneful sound. The string that produces a tuneful sound is the string that is not too tight and not too loose."

Thinking of the farmer, makes me wonder if "control" is the main problem. Seems to me the farmer let go of any feelings about these negatives. Doing so is kind of like relinquishing your control. No expectations brings no trouble? Feels like I am catching on to something. Who knows? We shall see!!

"Sona, before you became a monk you were a musician". Sona said that was true. So the Buddha said, "As a musician which string of the lute produces a pleasant and harmonious sound. The over-tight string?" "No," said Sona, "The over-tight string produces an unpleasant sound and is moreover likely to break at any moment." "The string that is too loose?" Again, "No, the string that is too loose does not produce a tuneful sound. The string that produces a tuneful sound is the string that is not too tight and not too loose."

But when you face directly your so called suffering, you will finally find out that actually it is not suffering. Why we have to let go?

You will also see at the end, what can we letting go actually? There is actually nothing we can let go. Because from day one, that suffering or joyful is never ever there.

We misintrepret it as there is something.

But in fact there is no something in whatever appearances which running through the head.

Once, we can see reality as there are, all are welcome because they are always ok.

The story of this mind can say this is like this, this is like that.

But

The nature of how that story appear to be real tell us that this story is just a story. They never ever real. The way that story appear to you never ever cheat you, they tell you exactly who is that story.

So, no need to let go, no need to invite them as well. Just let it be like that.

However, don't let the story throw you away. See the nature of that story. That nature will never ever throw you away. Instead it gives you the realization of emptiness of no self second by second.

Once you get used to it, see the story directly. If before that story catch you, now it is still there, but it no longer as able to catch you, because there is actualy nothing that can be caught and there is also nothing that has the ability to catch.

Everything second by second is already liberate by itself. You can prove it yourself, whether this is true or not.

So be happy.

We no need to spend money to get liberation. We do not to get a magic spell to get liberation.

Everything is there, right in front of your door step and it is right now, you are already liberated.

I am not here nor there.I am not right nor wrong.I do not exist neither non-exist.I am not I nor non-I.I am not in samsara nor nirvana.To All Buddhas, I bow down for the teaching of emptiness. Thank You!

I think what I was on the path of realizing was negative control due to attachments of self righteousness and anger in some challenges in life. When I think I am in control, but those feelings are apparent there can be no good or control. Letting go of those emotions and not trying to take control of an already bad situation such as violence may be the best road. Aside from self defense of course. It seem to help the farmer as he had not made trouble for himself it worked itself out.

Kinda of like the old saying. Don't start none and there won't be none. That is partly what made it made me thinkThen again I am focusing much on my own challenges presented to me in life. I will have to think outside the box and read all this again.

Thanks again for the information you have shared! This is definitely something I will have to take some time to work out.

"Sona, before you became a monk you were a musician". Sona said that was true. So the Buddha said, "As a musician which string of the lute produces a pleasant and harmonious sound. The over-tight string?" "No," said Sona, "The over-tight string produces an unpleasant sound and is moreover likely to break at any moment." "The string that is too loose?" Again, "No, the string that is too loose does not produce a tuneful sound. The string that produces a tuneful sound is the string that is not too tight and not too loose."